[S25] Venus' Shell Bowl

The Venus’ Shell Bowl is formed from a slab pressed into a mold, capturing the moment when the clay naturally settled into shape. The edge reveals the raw iron tone of the glaze, while the interior flows with deep blue. In allowing the process to remain visible in the final form, the bowl embodies the idea that making and outcome are inseparable — that beauty lies as much in becoming as in being.

In Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, where the goddess emerges from a shell — a symbol of both fragility and perfection. This bowl echoes that spirit, aligning with the Greek ideal of kalos (beauty as both form and meaning), finding grace in what is simple, unforced, and true.

Bisque fired at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto. Finished with iron blue glaze. 2025

Ceramic MCS clay